Skip to content
Cura x Cura

Dan Dou Chi淡豆豉

Sojae Semen praeparatum · Fermented Soybean · Prepared Soybean

Herbs that Release the Exterior 解表药《名医别录》

Overview

Black soybean fermented into a soft, unsalted preparation. Its character follows the ferment: prepared with Sang Ye and Qing Hao, as the pharmacopoeia directs, it is cool and suits wind-heat; prepared with Ma Huang and Zi Su it leans warm. Either way it is a mild herb, valued less for its sweating power than for venting heat that has become pent up in the chest.

Nature & Flavor

Bitter, acrid · Cool

Channels

Lung · Stomach

Typical Dosage

6–12 g in decoction
淡豆豉Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

2 core actions

  • Releases the exterior gentlyEarly-stage external patterns with chills, fever and headache, in patients too weak or too dry for a strong diaphoretic.
  • Eases irritability, vents pent-up heatThe restless, tossing discomfort in the chest that lingers after a febrile illness or after sweating — classically paired with Zhi Zi in Zhi Zi Chi Tang from the Shang Han Lun.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Dan Dou Chi

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Early external wind-heat or wind-cold with chills, fever and headache
    - Restlessness and a stifling sensation in the chest after fever or sweating
    - Insomnia from heat that has failed to vent

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

Common coldFeverInsomniaRestlessness

Contraindications

Cautions

A gentle herb with few restrictions, but still exterior-releasing: use it carefully in exterior deficiency with copious spontaneous sweating. It is made from black soybean, which is relevant to anyone avoiding soy.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: Mild and generally compatible with pregnancy under practitioner supervision.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Ming Yi Bie Lu《名医别录》(classical source, public domain).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.

Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.